Cricket is a truly unique sport, rich with idiosyncrasies that set it apart from other competitions. For many fans, it takes some time to acclimatise to the nuanced set of rules and the sometimes glacial pace of play. However, any lifelong cricket fan can tell you that it’s more than worth the investment, and there are some really interesting betting markets around the game. Given how long some of the games go on for, this is also one of the top sports for live betting. It can sometimes seem tricky to know which bookmaker will best suit your cricket betting needs, but we’ve put some advice together to help you navigate the markets with complete ease.
Cricket Tournaments to Bet On
There’s a wealth of cricket tournaments to enjoy out there, and most of the biggest events are under the auspices of the International Cricket Council. For the most part, the differences between the tournament formats revolve around the duration of the matches. Test cricket consists of a match consisting of four innings that can last as long as five days. Test matches are considered the Holy Grail of cricket and live up to their name, with teams giving it their all over what can often be gruelling tests of concentration and endurance.
The most well-known league is Test cricket, where the world’s best players battle it out to reach the top spot by the end of the season. Another famous event for fans to enjoy is Ashes betting, a Test match that takes place between England and Australia, which is one of the biggest fixtures of the cricket calendar with big bragging rights on the line for both countries. The other format of cricket uses limited overs, where each team has a set amount of overs to reach before the game’s conclusion. This format is favoured for One Day International competitions like the ICC World Twenty20 (20 overs) and the prestigious Cricket World Cup and Champions Trophy (50 overs). This is important for your wagering strategy, as teams competing in limited overs matches tend to play more recklessly, meaning the action’s more likely to go in any direction. In comparison, Test match games are more of a marathon than a sprint, so players approach the action with more caution, also looking to conserve their energy.
